The first topic we want to discuss is ‘The Purpose of Education’ which we believe is fundamental in steering the future of education policy in the right direction. We have posed a series of questions to stimulate discussion on this topic however, we want you to let us have your views. Please suggest a debate on this first topic by leaving your comments in the box on the right, or go to the debate page to see the topics already being discussed.

Debate

On one side of the curriculum debate are those, including the government, who believe that the curriculum should be based primarily on knowledge. Do you agree? You will need to log in to vote and comment.

The assessment debate to a degree reflects the curriculum debate, as there tends to be an affinity between knowledge-based curriculum and formal tests versus a skills-based curriculum and more flexible approaches to assessment. But are students tested too frequently, especially as the participation age rises to 18? You will need to log in to vote and comment.

Put a cross-section of people in a room and ask them ‘What is the purpose of education?’ and you are likely to get as many different answers as there are people. Should we adopt a national statement on the purpose of education to guide our vision? You will need to log in to vote and comment.

The move towards schools becoming more diverse started with the creation of city technology colleges in 1989 and picked up pace in 1992 when the first specialist schools were introduced. Higher performing secondary schools were financially incentivised to adopt a particular specialism as a way of carving out a distinct identity for their school in the belief that this would broaden parental choice.

How far has autonomy contributed to school improvement? The Academies Commission found that the autonomy linked to the introduction of academies had “provided much-needed vitality to the school system” but were more equivocal about the gains in attainment.

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